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Think engineering means crunching equations 24/7? Meet the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s women’s basketball team, which just made the NCAA playoffs for the first time in the school’s history. All 13 players are engineering majors. And they’re not the only engineers on the court!

MIT’s THINK Scholars Program is an educational outreach initiative run by undergraduates that supports and funds STEM projects developed by high school students. Six finalists are chosen to visit the campus, with three selected to receive up to $1,000 in seed money to complete their projects. Deadline for submitting proposals is January 1, 2016.

Infusing engineering throughout the elementary school day and a tour of TeachEngineering’s free library of teacher-tested engineering activities are just two of the presentations ASEE’s experienced educators will be making at NSTA’s annual STEM Forum in Denver July 27 to 29. It’s all part of ASEE’s Year of Action on P-12 Engineering Education.

Congress could deliver an early holiday gift to educators before school lets out this December: A rewrite of the federal education law that established today’s testing and accountability mandates. It’s not a done deal, but House and Senate education leaders announced they have “a path forward” and hope to have the long-stalled reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act approved before Congress recesses for the year.

Alternative energy, forces and motion, the environment, and robotics are some of the areas students in grades 6 to 9 can explore in the 2015 eCYBERMISSION. This free, web-based STEM competition is sponsored by the U.S. Army and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, the contest draws thousands of participants each year and has awarded some $10 million in EE U.S. Savings Bonds. Registration closes December 17, 2015.

If NASA loves the The Martian, it may be because the 21st Century Fox film starring Matt Damon draws on real-life technologies the U.S. space agency already has or is developing for a manned mission to Mars.

Science competitions can pave the path toward STEM degrees and careers. But low-income students often face barriers to participation.The nonprofit Society for Science & the Public, which runs the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, is launching a pilot program to recruit and pay teachers and counselors to coach students through the process.